Efficient frequency detectors for clock and data recovery circuits

ABSTRACT

A system and method for a frequency detector circuit includes: a transition detector configured to receive a data input and provide a first edge output based on transitions in the data input; a first circuit configured to generate a second edge output; a second circuit configured to generate a third edge output; and a combinational logic configured to output an UP output when at least two of the first edge output, the second edge output, and the third edge output are high and configured to output a DOWN output when the first edge output, the second edge output, and the third edge output are all low.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/732,942, entitled EFFICIENTFREQUENCY DETECTORS FOR CLOCK AND DATA RECOVERY CIRCUITS, filed on Sep.18, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to frequencyacquisition and bang-bang phase detectors used in clock and datarecovery (CDR).

Serial links include a transmitter connected to a receiver via achannel. The receiver generally includes a circuit configured togenerate a clock that aligns with the phase of the incoming data.

FIG. 1 depicts a related art CDR circuit configured to align a locallygenerated clock with an incoming data signal.

Referring to FIG. 1, a related art CDR system 100 includes data andcrossing slicers 110 that sample the incoming data and provide the datato the bang-bang phase detector 120. The bang-bang phase detector 120determines if the phase of the clock generated by a voltage controlledoscillator (VCO) 130 is in alignment (e.g., in-phase) with the incomingdata. A bang-bang phase detector has 3 states that include the phasebeing early, late, or that there is no useful information (e.g., thereis no data transition required to determine phase alignment). Based onthe current state, the bang-bang phase detector 120 outputs an up valueor a down value. The up and down signals are provided to a charge pump140 which activates a switch to increase or decrease the control voltageof the VCO 130. For example, when an up signal is received at the chargepump 140, the charge pump increases the control voltage of the VCO 130and the frequency of the clock generated is increased. Similarly, when adown signal is received at the charge pump 140, the charge pump 140decreases the control voltage of the VCO 130 and the frequency of theclock generated is decreased.

In order to properly lock the phase, the VCO 130 needs to generate aclock with a frequency close to the data rate. Thus, frequencyacquisition 150 is used to set the initial clock. The frequencyacquisition circuit 150 receives a clock output from the VCO 130 andprovides a voltage output to increase or decrease the clock frequencygenerated by the VCO 130.

In the past, a number of methodologies have been employed for frequencyacquisition. For example, frequency acquisition has been performed usinga frequency acquisition circuit that may employ a phase-frequencydetector (PFD), a rotational frequency detector, or a counter-basedfrequency detector. These prior systems, however, have suffered fromnumerous disadvantages. For example, a PFD is not suitable for digitalCDR. Both PFDs and rotational frequency detectors do not work well withlow-swing signals transmitted from the transmitter. Counter-basedfrequency detectors need multi-bit counters and various arithmeticoperations to function requiring too much space and complexity andfurthermore may produce a multi-bit frequency error and are thereforedifficult to implement.

Thus, a method of providing accurate frequency acquisition that operateson input data after translation to CMOS (e.g., after the slicers) andwithout the use of multi-bit arithmetic operations is needed.

The above information is only for enhancement of understanding of thebackground of embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore maycontain information that does not form the prior art.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and methodfor a frequency detector circuit. In various embodiments, the frequencydetector circuit includes: a transition detector configured to receive adata input and provide a first edge output based on transitions in thedata input; a first circuit configured to generate a second edge output;a second circuit configured to generate a third edge output; and acombinational logic. In various embodiments, the combinational logic isconfigured to: output an UP output when at least two of the first edgeoutput, the second edge output, and the third edge output are high; andoutput a DOWN output when the first edge output, the second edge output,and the third edge output are all low.

In various embodiments, the first circuit includes a first delay circuitand the second circuit includes a second delay circuit.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic includes a DOWN logicand an UP logic.

In various embodiments, the DOWN logic includes: an AND gate having afirst input, a second input, and a third input; a first inverterconfigured to receive the first edge output and connected to the firstinput; a second inverter configured to receive the second edge outputand connected to the second input; and a third inverter configured toreceive the third edge output and connected to the third input.

In various embodiments, the UP logic includes: a three input OR gate; afirst AND gate configured to receive the first edge output and thesecond edge output and provide a first output to a first input of thethree input OR gate; a second AND gate configured to receive the firstedge output and the third edge output and provide a second output to asecond input of the three input OR gate; and a third AND gate configuredto receive the second edge output and the third edge output and providea third output to a third input of the three input OR gate.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic further includes aselection circuit configured to convert the operation of the frequencydetector to a phase detector according to a selection signal.

In various embodiments, a method of frequency detection includes:sampling a data input to obtain an odd data sample of the input data(Dodd); sampling the data input to obtain an odd crossing sample of theinput data (Xodd); sampling the data input to obtain an even data sampleof the input data (Deven); sampling the data input to obtain an evencrossing sample of the input data (Xeven); generating an UP odd signalaccording to Dodd, Xodd, and Deven; generating a DOWN odd signalaccording to Dodd, Xodd, and Deven; generating an UP even signalaccording to Deven, Xeven, and Dodd; and generating a DOWN even signalaccording to Deven, Xeven, and Dodd.

In various embodiments, generating an UP odd signal according to Dodd,Xodd, and Deven includes: determining an odd first edge signal accordingto the Dodd and Xodd, wherein the odd first edge signal is high whenDodd and Xodd have different values; determining an odd second edgesignal according to the Xodd and Deven, wherein the odd second edgesignal is high when Xodd and Deven have different values; and outputtingthe UP odd signal when the odd first edge signal and the odd second edgesignal are both high.

In various embodiments, generating a DOWN odd signal according to theDodd, Xodd, and Deven includes: determining an odd first edge signalaccording to Dodd and Xodd, wherein the odd first edge is high when Doddand Xodd have different values; determining an odd second edge signalaccording to Xodd and Deven, wherein the odd second edge is high whenXodd and Deven have different values; and outputting the DOWN odd signalwhen the odd first edge signal and the odd second edge signal are bothlow.

In various embodiments, generating an UP even signal according Deven,Xeven, and Dodd includes: determining an even first edge signalaccording to Deven and Xeven, wherein the even first edge signal is highwhen Deven and Xeven have different values; determining an even secondedge signal according to Xeven and Dodd, wherein the even second edgesignal is high when Xeven and Dodd have different values; and outputtingthe UP even signal when the even first edge signal and the even secondedge signal are both high.

In various embodiments, generating a DOWN even signal according toDeven, Xeven, and Dodd includes: determining an even first edge signalaccording to Deven and Xeven, wherein the even first edge signal is highwhen Deven and Xeven have different values; determining an even secondedge signal according to Xeven and Dodd, wherein the even second edgesignal is high when Xeven and Dodd have different values; and outputtingthe DOWN even signal when the even first edge signal and the even secondedge signal are both LOW.

In various embodiments, the method further includes temporally aligningthe Dodd, Xodd, and Deven.

In various embodiments, the method further includes temporally aligningDeven, Xeven, and Dodd.

In various embodiments, the method further includes providing a modeselection signal to engage a frequency detection mode.

In various embodiments, a phase/frequency detector circuit includes afirst slicer configured to sample a data input according to a firstclock and output an odd data sample (Dodd); a second slicer configuredto sample the data input according to a second clock and output an oddcrossing sample (Xodd); a third slicer configured to sample the datainput according to a third clock and output an even data sample (Deven);a fourth slicer configured to sample the data input according to afourth clock and output an even crossing sample (Xeven); a first dataalignment circuit configured to temporally align the Dodd, Xodd, andDeven; a second data alignment circuit configured to temporally alignthe Deven, Xeven, and Dodd; and a combinational logic circuit. Invarious embodiments, the combinational logic circuit is configured to:generate a first edge output according to Dodd and Xodd; generate asecond edge output according to Xodd and Deven; generate a third edgeoutput according to Deven and Xeven; generate a forth edge outputaccording to Xeven and Dodd; generate an UP odd signal when the firstedge output and the second edge output are both high; generate a DOWNodd signal when the second edge output and the second edge output areboth low; generate a UP even signal when the third edge output and thefourth edge output are both high; and generate a DOWN even signal whenthe third edge output and the fourth edge output are both low.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic further includes aselection circuit configured to switch the operation of thecombinational logic between a phase detection mode and a frequencydetection mode according to a selection signal.

In various embodiments, the selection circuit is configured to invertthe value of the second edge output and the forth edge output when theselection signal designates the phase detection mode.

In various embodiments, the selection circuit includes a first exclusiveOR (XOR) gate configured to receive the second edge output and theselection signal and a second XOR gate configured to receive the fourthedge output and the selection signal.

In various embodiments, the selection circuit is configured to invertDeven and Dodd according to the selection signal.

In various embodiments, the selection circuit includes a first exclusiveOR (XOR) gate configured to receive the Deven and the selection signaland a second XOR gate configured to receive Dodd and the selectionsignal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments can be understood in more detail from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 depicts a related art CDR;

FIG. 2A depicts an example transition detector according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 2B includes a timing diagram for the transition detector of FIG. 2Baccording to various embodiments

FIG. 3 depicts a frequency detector according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4A depicts an example embodiment of combinational logic forfrequency detection according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4B depicts a timing diagram of the operation of the combinationallogic of FIG. 4A when used in the frequency detector according tovarious embodiments

FIG. 5A depicts an example data input and a locally generated a dataclock (dclk), and a locally generated crossing clock (xclk);

FIG. 5B illustrates an embodiment of combinational logic used by afrequency detector;

FIG. 6 depicts a frequency detector according to various embodiments;

FIG. 7 depicts a timing diagram for an odd slice and the operation of afrequency detector according to various embodiments;

FIG. 8 depicts an example clock and data recover circuit having afrequency detector integrated with a bang bang phase detector (BBPD)according to various embodiments;

FIG. 9 depicts an example combination bang bang phase detector andfrequency detector according to various embodiments;

FIG. 10 depicts an example combination bang bang phase detector andfrequency detector according to various embodiments; and

FIG. 11 depicts a truth table showing the combined BBPD/frequencydetector system output for odd data according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Features of the inventive concept and methods of accomplishing the samemay be understood more readily by reference to the following detaileddescription of embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter,embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers refer to likeelements throughout. The present disclosure, however, may be embodied invarious different forms, and should not be construed as being limited toonly the illustrated embodiments herein. Rather, these embodiments areprovided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the aspects and features of the presentdisclosure to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, processes,elements, and techniques that are not necessary to those having ordinaryskill in the art for a complete understanding of the aspects andfeatures of the present disclosure may not be described. Unlessotherwise noted, like reference numerals denote like elements throughoutthe attached drawings and the written description, and thus,descriptions thereof will not be repeated. In the drawings, the relativesizes of elements, layers, and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a system and method for anefficient frequency detector in a clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit.In various embodiments, the system and method allows for the detectionof an input reference frequency and the comparison with a local clock(e.g., one or more oscillator frequencies). For example, in someembodiments, a transmitter may periodically supply a training pattern tothe receiver. The training pattern is sampled by one or more slicersoperating in accordance with the local clock. In various embodiments, anefficient frequency detector may be configured to detect signal edgesand utilize combinational logic and prior edges to provide an output UPor DOWN signal indicating the need to increase or decrease the localclock speed.

FIG. 2A depicts an example transition detector according to variousembodiments. FIG. 2B includes a timing diagram for the transitiondetector of FIG. 2B according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B in various embodiments, a transitiondetector 200 may be used to determine when the incoming data signal hasa transition from low-to-high (e.g., from logical low to logical high)or high-to-low (e.g., logical high to logical low). In variousembodiments, the transition detector 200 may include a d-flip flop 210,an exclusive OR (XOR) 220 and a retimer 230. In various embodiments, thed-flip flop 210 receives the data signal D and outputs a delayed datasignal Q. For example, the delayed data signal Q of the d-flip flop 210may be delayed by a clock cycle, a half clock cycle, a quarter clockcycle etc.

In some embodiments, a retimer 230 may be configured to receive anincoming data signal (e.g., from a slicer) and synchronize the incomingdata signal with the local clock. For example, the retimer 230 may alsoinclude a d-flip flop that operates according to the local clock. Sincethe transition detector 200 also operates according to the local clock,and the local clock may not be synchronized with the data beingreceived, the retimer 230 allows for the logic in the transitiondetector 200 to operate accurately.

In various embodiments, an edge (e.g. transition in the data signal) isdetected by the XOR 220 comparing the current data signal D and thedelayed data signal Q. For example, referring to FIG. 2B, a first edgemay be detected when D transitions from low to high and a second edgemay be detected when D transitions from high to low and so on.

FIG. 3 depicts a frequency detector according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 3, in various embodiments the frequency detector 300is configured to detect the frequency of the incoming data signal basedon the number of edges that have occurred in recent history. In variousembodiments, the frequency detector 300 includes a transition detector310, a delay circuit 320, a delay circuit 330, and combinational logic340.

In various embodiments, the first and second delay circuits 320, 330 maybe delay circuits that are configured to provide a one clock cycledelay, however, in some embodiments, the first and second delay circuits320, 330 may be configured to provide half or quarter clock cycledelays. For example, in various embodiments, the first and second delaycircuits 320, 330 may be d-flip flops, however, in other embodiments,other delay circuits may be utilized. In various other embodiments,delay circuits may not be necessary. For example, as will be discussedbelow, in some embodiments, signals sampled by multiple phase-shiftedclocks may be used in lieu of delay circuits.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 340 is configured toreceive the output of the transition detector 310 (edge 0), a firstdelayed edge from the first delay circuit 320 (edge 1), and a seconddelayed edge from the second delay circuit 330 (edge 2). For example,the first delay circuit 320 receives the current output of thetransition detector 310 and outputs the previous output (e.g., theoutput from 1 clock cycle ago) of the transition detector 310.Similarly, the second delay circuit 330 receives the output from thefirst delay circuit 320 (e.g., the output of the transition detectorfrom 1 clock cycle ago) and outputs the previous output of the firstdelay circuit 320 (e.g., the output of the transition detector from 2clock cycles ago). Each of the transition detector 310, first delaycircuit 320, and second delay circuit 330 may operate according to alocal clock (e.g., from a voltage controlled oscillator).

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 340 may utilize theseinputs and using single bit logic functions generate UP and DOWN outputsindicative of whether the currently generated frequency is lower orhigher than the target. In various embodiments, the UP and DOWN outputsmay indicate that the current clock is correct, sampling data too fast,or sampling data too slow. For example, when the current clock iscorrect, the combinational logic 340 may provide no output. When thecurrent clock is sampling the data too quickly, the combinational logicsupplies a DOWN output. Conversely, when the current clock is samplingthe data too slowly, the combinational logic 340 generates an UP output.Thus, the frequency error may be encoded as an average of 1-bit UP/DOWNstreams.

FIG. 4A depicts an example embodiment of combinational logic forfrequency detection according to various embodiments. FIG. 4B depicts atiming diagram of the operation of the combinational logic of FIG. 4Awhen used in the frequency detector according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in various embodiments, the combinationallogic 400 may be configured to determine when the locally generatedclock is operating at the correct speed. For example, a transmitter maysend a training pattern for use in setting the local clock. In variousembodiments, the training pattern may be six clock cycles in length. Insome embodiments, the training pattern may have a longer or a shorterperiod.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 400 may utilize thecurrent transition detector output signal (edge 0), a first delayedsignal (edge 1), and a second delayed signal (edge 2) to determine whenthe locally generated clock is operating at the correct speed. Invarious embodiments, the combinational logic 400 includes DOWN logic 410and UP logic 420 for determining when the locally generated clock isoperating too fast and too slow. For example, the combinational logic400 is configured to provide a DOWN output when the local clock issampling the incoming data stream too quickly (e.g., the clock is toofast) and an UP output when the local clock is sampling the incomingdata stream too slowly (e.g., the clock is too slow).

In various embodiments, the DOWN logic 410 may, for example, beconfigured to determine when none of the input values (edge 0, edge 1,and edge 2) are high. This determination may be made using anycombination of digital logic gates. For example, in various embodiments,the DOWN logic 410 includes an AND gate with inverted inputs and isconfigured to receive edge 0 at a first input, edge 1 at a second input,and edge 2 at a third input. Thus, the AND gate provides a high outputwhen none of edge 0, edge 1, or edge 2 are high. It should be understoodthat in various embodiments, equivalent logic circuits may be utilizedto provide the same output. For example, the inverters and the AND gatemay be substituted with a NOR gate or other logic gates to provideequivalent functionality.

In various embodiments, the UP logic 420 may, for example, be configuredto determine when at least two of the input values (edge 0, edge 1, andedge 2) are high. In various embodiments, the UP logic includes a firstAND gate, a second AND gate, a third AND gate, and an OR gate. In theseembodiments, the first AND gate receives edge 0 and edge 1, the secondAND gate receives edge 1 and edge 2, and the third AND gate receivesedge 0 and edge 2. The output of each AND gate is then provided to theOR gate. Thus, if two of the three input values are high, then the UPlogic 420 will provide a high output (e.g., an UP output).

Referring to FIG. 4B, a timing diagram showing the operation of thecombinational logic 400 according to various embodiments is depicted. Invarious embodiments, the frequency detector may be supplied with a datasignal that is a training signal. For example, a transmitting device mayperiodically send a training signal or pattern to help sync the clock inthe receiver. In some embodiments, the training signal may be sentduring an initialization period and in some embodiments, the trainingsignal may be sent periodically. For example, in the context of adisplay, a training signal may be sent with each new frame of displaydata. In the depicted example, the received training signal D is shownas having a plurality low and high outputs with varying lengths of time,however, the training signal may be any signal configured for performingfrequency detection. For example, the training pattern may be a periodicsequence of 0s and 1s configured for the frequency detector. In variousembodiments, the frequency detector of FIG. 4A may have a trainingpattern of 000000111111, while the training pattern used for thefrequency detector described with below may have a training pattern of010101010101.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the first data transition causes the value of edge0 to transition to a high value for one clock cycle. The value of edge 1is the value of edge 0 in the previous clock cycle. Thus, the value ofedge 1 transitions to a high value a clock cycle (e.g., the local clock)after the edge 0 transitions to high. Similarly, the value of edge 2 isthe value of edge 0 from two cycles ago (and the value of edge 1 fromone cycle ago). Thus, the value of edge 2 transitions from low to high aclock cycle after the value of edge 1 transitions to high (and two clockcycles after edge 0 transitioned to high). At the seventh clock cycle,edge 0 is low, edge 1 is low, and edge 2 is low. Thus, a DOWN output isprovided by the DOWN logic 410 indicating that the local clock issampling the data too quickly. Similarly, at the eleventh clock cycle,the values of edge 0, edge 1, and edge 2 are all low. Thus, another DOWNoutput is provided by the DOWN logic 410. At the fourteenth clock cycle,edge 0 and edge 2 are both high, thus the UP logic 420 provides an UPoutput signaling that the local clock is causing the input data to besampled too slowly. Similarly, at the sixteenth clock cycle, the valueof edge 0 and edge 2 are again high and the UP logic 420 providesanother UP signal.

FIG. 5A depicts an example data input and a locally generated a dataclock (dclk), and a locally generated crossing clock (xclk). FIG. 5Billustrates an embodiment of combinational logic used by a frequencydetector.

Referring to FIG. 5A, in various embodiments, the data clock may leadthe crossing clock by a quarter clock cycle. In various embodiments, theodd and even numbered edges of the data clock and the crossing clock maybe used by the frequency detector. In various embodiments, a frequencydetector may be configured to operate according to a training pattern of010101010101 with a period equal to one clock cycle.

Input data may be sampled according to transitions in the data andcrossing clocks. For example, the input data may be sampled at the firsttransition (e.g., the up or positive transition) of the data clock(dclk) and the data sample is labeled as Dodd, the input data sampled atthe first transition (e.g., the up or positive transition) of thecrossing clock is labeled as Xodd, the input data sampled at the secondtransition (e.g., the down or negative transition) of the data clock(dclk) is labeled as Deven, and the input data sampled at the secondtransition (e.g., the down or negative transition) of the crossing clock(xclk) is labeled Xeven. Stated differently, the odd numbered edges maybe up transitions and the even numbered edges may be down transitions.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in various embodiments the combinational logic maybe configured to determine if the local clock frequency is correct bydetermining edge0 and edge1 using the odd and even transitions and thenapplying further logic. For example, edge1 may be equal to Dodd XOR Xoddand edge0 may be equal to Xodd XOR Deven. The edge signals (edge 0 andedge 1) may be utilized to generate UP and DOWN values. For example, invarious embodiments, an UP or a DOWN output is provided when the valueof the edge signals is the same. For example, when both edge 0 and edge1 are logically zero, the locally generated clock is operating too fast(e.g., too high) and a DOWN signal is generated. Similarly, when edge 0and edge 1 are logically one, the locally generate clock is operatingtoo slow (e.g., too low) and an UP signal may be generated.

FIG. 6 depicts a frequency detector according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 6, in various embodiments a frequency detector 600 maybe configured to utilize a training pattern with a period equal to onesystem clock cycle. In various embodiments, the input data Din may besampled using four clocks that include a first data clock dclkp, asecond data clock dclkn, a first crossing clock xclkp, and a secondcrossing clock xclkn. In various embodiments, each of the clocks may bespaced 90 degrees apart. For example, in some embodiments, dclkp maycorrespond to a positive transition of a dclk and dclkn may correspondto a negative transition of a dclk. Similarly, xclkp may correspond to apositive transition of the xclk and xclkn may correspond to a negativetransition of the xclk. In various embodiments, the frequency detector600 may be connected to one or more data slicers 610-616 for samplingthe input data signal Din. For example, the data slicers 610-616 areconfigured to receive the input data stream and operate according to oneof the local clocks. For example, a first data slicer 610 may operateaccording to the first data clock (dclkp), a second data slicer 612 mayoperate according to the first crossing clock (xclkp), a third dataslicer 614 may operate according to the second data clock (dclkn), andthe fourth data slicer 616 may operate according to the second crossingclock (xclkn). In various embodiments, the first data slicer 610 may beconfigured to sample data according to the rising edge of dclkp andoutput Dodd, the second data slicer 612 may be configured to sample dataaccording to the rising edge of xclkp and output Xodd, the third dataslicer 614 may be configured to sample data according to the rising edgeof dclkn and output Deven, and the forth data slicer 616 may beconfigured to sample data according to the rising edge of xclkn andoutput Xeven.

As discussed above, the clocks are each spaced 90 degrees apart. Forexample, in various embodiments, Dodd may be a quarter cycle (e.g., 90degrees) ahead of Xodd which is a quarter cycle ahead of Deven. Thus,the alignment circuit 620 may delay Dodd by a half cycle and Xodd by aquarter cycle to bring them into alignment with Deven. Similarly, thealignment circuit 622 may delay Deven by half a cycle and Xeven by aquarter cycle to bring them in alignment with Dodd.

In various embodiments, the sampled and aligned data (Dodd, Xodd, Deven,Xeven) may be supplied to combinational logic 630. In variousembodiments, the combinational logic 630 is configured to generate evenand odd UP and DOWN signals. For example, similar to the embodimentdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the combinational logic 530may be configured to determine when two neighboring data samples are thesame. For example, the combinational logic 630 may determine when thevalue of the input data stream Din is the same for two consecutive edgeshave the same value to generate the edge signals (e.g., edge 0 even/oddand edge 1 even/odd) and then compare the edges to determine if thelocal clock should be adjusted.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 630 includes a first XOR632, a second XOR 634, a third XOR 636, a fourth XOR 638, a first AND640, a second AND 642, a third AND 644, and a forth AND 646. In variousembodiments, the first XOR 632 receives Dodd1 and Xodd1 and outputs edge1 odd, the second XOR 634 receives Xodd1 and Deven1 and outputs edge 0odd, the third XOR 636 receives Deven2 and Xeven2 and outputs edge1even, and the forth XOR 638 receives Xeven2 and Dodd2 and outputs edge 0even. In various embodiments, AND gates are configured to determine whenedge 0 and edge 1 are both logic high or both logic low. For example, ifedge 0 and 1 are both high, an UP output is generated. Conversely, whenedge 0 and 1 are both low, a DOWN output is generated. In variousembodiments, the first AND 640 receives edge 1 odd and edge 0 odd andoutputs UP odd, and the second AND 642 receives inverted edge 1 odd andinverted edge 0 odd and outputs DOWN odd. Similarly, the third AND 644receives edge 1 even and edge 0 even and outputs UP even, and the forthAND 646 receives inverted edge 1 even and inverted edge 0 even andoutputs DOWN even. As discussed above, XOR and AND gates may besubstituted for any functionally equivalent logic gates.

FIG. 7 depicts a timing diagram for an odd slice and the operation of afrequency detector according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 7, in various embodiments, a frequency detector mayreceive a data signal Din containing a training pattern. In thisexample, the values for an odd slice are depicted. Thus, Dodd, Xodd, andDeven are used as inputs for determining edge1 odd and edge0 odd andsubsequently UP odd and DOWN odd. In various embodiments, Dodd issampled according to dclkp, Xodd is sampled according to xclkp, andDeven is sampled according to dclkn. As described above, dclkp, xclkp,and dclkn (and not depicted xclkn) may be 90 degrees out of phase. Inthis embodiment, dclkp causes the first slicer 610 to sample the inputdata stream Din first, xclkp causes the second slicer 612 to sample theinput data stream Din second, and dclkn causes the third slicer 614 tosample the input data stream Din third. Data alignment 620 may then beused to bring Dodd1, Xodd1, and Deven1 into alignment for furtherprocessing.

In this example, at the first time t0, Dodd is low because dclkp causesthe first slicer 610 to sample the data stream Din while Din is low.Similarly, Xodd and Deven both transition to high because xclkp causesthe second slicer 612 to sample Din while Din is high and dclknsimilarly causes the third slicer 614 to sample Din while the value ofDin is high. Thus, edge 1 odd transitions to high and edge 0 oddtransitions to low (e.g., because edge 1 odd equals Dodd XOR Xodd andedge 0 odd equals Xodd XOR Deven). Since edge 1 odd is high and edge 0odd is low, no frequency error is detected, and the output of UP odd andDOWN odd are both low, indicating, that the local clock has a correctfrequency for the input data stream Din.

In various embodiments, the local clock may be too slow and is thereforesampling the input data stream too slowly. For example, at t1, Dodd islow because dclkp causes the first slicer 610 to sample the data streamDin while Din is low. Similarly, Xodd is high because xlckp causes thesecond slicer 612 to sample the data stream Din while Din is high. Inthis example, Deven is also low because dclkn causes the third slicer614 to sample the data stream Din while Din is low. Thus, in variousembodiments, the values for edge 1 odd and edge 0 odd may both be highand an UP odd signal may be output to increase the local clock speed.Conversely, in various embodiments, the local clock may be too fast andthe system is therefore sampling the input data stream too quickly. Forexample, at t2, edge 1 odd and edge 0 odd are both low because Dodd,Xodd, and Deven are each low, resulting in a DOWN signal. Similarly, att3, DOWN odd may again be high because edge 1 odd and edge 0 odd areagain low. The lack of data transitions as observed at t2 and t3indicates that clock frequency is too fast compared to the trainingpattern on Din.

FIG. 8 depicts an example clock and data recover circuit having afrequency detector integrated with a bang bang phase detector (BBPD)according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 8, in various embodiments, a clock and data recoverycircuit 800 may include a frequency detector 830 that is integrated witha bang bang phase detector 820. In various embodiments, the frequencydetector 830 may operate similarly to a bang bang phase detector 820.For example, the bang bang phase detector 820 and the frequency detector830 may each be connected to one or more slicers 810 operating accordingto a local clock (e.g., the slicers 610-616 described above withreference to FIG. 6). In various embodiments, the BBPD 820 and thefrequency detector 830 may operate according to edge 0 and edge 1.

In various embodiments, the BBPD 820 may operate such that when edge 0and edge 1 are both low, the BBPD 820 provides no output. The BBPD 820may output a DOWN when edge 1 is low and edge 0 is high. Conversely, theBBPD 820 may output an UP when edge 1 is high and edge 0 is low. Thus,in various embodiments, the frequency detector 830 operates in the samemanner as the BBPD 820 if edge 0 is inverted.

In various embodiments, the clock and data recovery circuit 800 mayinclude a phase/frequency selection circuit 835. For example, in variousembodiments, the phase/frequency selection circuit 835 may include anAND gate configured to receive a mode selection signal. The modeselection signal disables a proportional control path in a frequencyacquisition mode. For example, when the mode selection signal is LOW(indicating frequency acquisition mode), the output of frequencydetector only drives the integrator 850, while when the mode selectionsignal is HIGH (indicating phase acquisition/tracking mode), the outputof phase/frequency detection selection circuit 835 tracks the output ofBBPD 820, thereby also activating a proportional control path 855. Thisallows for the clock and data recovery circuit 800 to be set asoperating in a frequency acquisition mode (e.g., operating using thefrequency detector 830) or in a phase acquisition/tracking mode (e.g,,operating using the BBPD 820).

In various embodiments, the clock and data recovery circuit 800 mayinclude a decimator 840 used in conjunction with the integrator 850(e.g., a charge pump) to provide an adjustment voltage to the VCO 860during BBPD operation.

FIG. 9 depicts an example combination bang bang phase detector andfrequency detector according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 9, in various embodiments, a combinationBBPD/frequency detector 900 may switch between a frequency detectionmode and a phase detection mode according to a mode selection signal. Invarious embodiments, the mode selection signal may be configured totoggle XOR gates to select when the combination BBPD/frequency detector900 is operating as a BBPD or a frequency detector. For example, thecombination BBPD/frequency detector 900 includes many of the same orsimilar components as the frequency detector circuit 600 discussedabove. For example, the combination BBPD/frequency detector 900 includesslicers 910-916 operating according to the clocks dclkp, xclkp, dclkn,and xclkn. In various embodiments, data alignment circuits 920, 922bring the outputs of the slicers 910-916 into phase alignment.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 930 is configured togenerate even and odd UP and DOWN signals during both phase detectionand frequency detection modes. For example, similar to the embodimentdescribed with reference to

FIG. 6, the combinational logic 930 may be configured to determine whentwo neighboring Din samples are the same, producing signalsedge1_odd/edge1_even and edge0_odd/edge0_even. However, depending on themode, the value of edge 0 may be inverted. For example, when a BBPD modeis enabled, the value of edge 0 may be inverted (e.g., using an XORgate). In various embodiments, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 6, thecombinational logic 930 includes a first XOR 932, a second XOR 934, athird XOR 936, a fourth XOR 938, a first AND 940, a second AND 942, athird AND 944, and a forth AND 946. In various embodiments, thecombinational logic 930 also includes one or more selection circuits948, 950 for switching operation between BBPD and frequency detectionmodes according to the mode selection signal. For example, in variousembodiments, the selection circuit may include a fifth XOR 948 and asixth XOR 950, each configured to receive the mode selection signal andinvert the edge0 even and odd values accordingly.

For example, in various embodiments, the fifth XOR 948 may receive theedge0_odd signal and the mode selection signal and provide an output tothe first AND 940 and the second AND 942. Similarly, the sixth XOR 950may receive the edge0_even signal and the mode selection signal andprovide an output to the third AND 944 and the fourth AND 946. Thus, themode selection signal may be used to toggle the operation of theBBPD/frequency detector 900 between operating as a BBPD or a frequencydetector.

FIG. 10 depicts an example combination bang bang phase detector andfrequency detector according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 10, in various embodiments, a combinationBBPD/frequency detector 1000 may switch between a frequency detectionmode and a phase detection mode according to a mode selection signal. Invarious embodiments, the mode selection signal may be configured totoggle XOR gates to select when the combination BBPD/frequency detector1000 is operating as a BBPD or a frequency detector. For example, thecombination BBPD/frequency detector 1000 includes many of the same orsimilar components as the frequency detector circuit 600 and thecombination BBPD/frequency detector 900, each discussed above. Forexample, the combination BBPD/frequency detector 1000 includes slicers1010-1016 operating according to the clocks dclkp, xclkp, dclkn, andxclkn. In various embodiments, data alignment circuits 1020, 1022 bringthe outputs of the slicers 1010-1016 into phase alignment.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 1030 is configured togenerate even and odd UP and DOWN signals. For example, similar to theembodiment described with reference to FIG. 6, the combinational logic1030 may be configured to determine when two neighboring Din samples arethe same. However, depending on the mode, the values of Deven and Doddmay be inverted before being used by XOR gates 1040, 1042 and 1034,1036. The seventh XOR 1052 and the eighth XOR 1054 are configured topass the value of Deven1 and Dodd2 in BBPD mode and invert the value ofDeven1 and Dodd2 in frequency detection mode.

In various embodiments, the combinational logic 1030 includes a firstXOR 1032, a second XOR 1034, a third XOR 1036, a fourth XOR 1038, afifth XOR 1040, a sixth XOR 1042, a first AND 1044, a second AND 1046, athird AND 1048, and a forth AND 1050. As discussed above, in variousembodiments, the combinational logic 1030 also includes a seventh XOR1052 and an eighth XOR 1054 configured for switching the operationbetween BBPD and frequency detection modes according to the modeselection signal.

For example, in various embodiments, the seventh XOR 1052 may receivethe Deven1 signal and the mode selection signal (e.g., an inverted modeselection signal) and provide an output to the second XOR 1034 and thethird XOR 1036. Similarly, the eighth XOR 1054 may receive the Dodd2signal and the mode selection signal (e.g., the inverted mode selectionsignal) and provide an output to the fifth XOR 1040 and the sixth XOR1042. In various embodiments, the first AND 1044 receives the output ofthe first XOR 1032 and the third XOR 1036, the second AND 1046 receivesthe output of the second XOR 1034 and the third XOR 1036, the third AND1048 receives the output of the fourth XOR 1038 and the sixth XOR 1042,and the fourth AND 1050 receives the output of the fifth XOR 1040 andthe sixth XOR 1042.

In various embodiments, the third XOR 1036 is configured to receive theDodd1 signal and the output of the seventh XOR 1052. The sixth XOR 1042is configured to receive the Deven2 signal and the output of the eighthXOR 1054.

FIG. 11 depicts a truth table showing the combined BBPD/frequencydetector system output for odd data according to various embodiments. Itshould be understood by those skilled in the art that a comparable truthtable for even data may be generated.

Referring to FIG. 11, in various embodiments, the BBPD/frequencydetector may be configured to operate in a BBPD mode or a frequencydetector mode. In this example, a 1 signifies a logic HIGH output and a0 signifies a logic LOW output. For example, when operating as afrequency detector, when Dodd, Xodd, and Deven are all zeros, edge 0 andedge 1 will also have values of zero, and a DN output will be equal to1, i.e. will be asserted. However, when operating as a BBPD, the sameinputs would result in DN output being equal to 0.

In the preceding description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding ofvarious embodiments. It is apparent, however, that various embodimentsmay be practiced without these specific details or with one or moreequivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring various embodiments.

It will be understood that when an element, layer, region, or componentis referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” anotherelement, layer, region, or component, it can be directly on, connectedto, or coupled to the other element, layer, region, or component, or oneor more intervening elements, layers, regions, or components may bepresent. However, “directly connected/directly coupled” refers to onecomponent directly connecting or coupling another component without anintermediate component. Meanwhile, other expressions describingrelationships between components such as “between,” “immediatelybetween” or “adjacent to” and “directly adjacent to” may be construedsimilarly. In addition, it will also be understood that when an elementor layer is referred to as being “between” two elements or layers, itcan be the only element or layer between the two elements or layers, orone or more intervening elements or layers may also be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intendedto include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises,” “comprising,” “have,” “having,” “includes,” and“including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofthe stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes anyand all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, the term “substantially,” “about,” “approximately,” andsimilar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms ofdegree, and are intended to account for the inherent deviations inmeasured or calculated values that would be recognized by those ofordinary skill in the art. “About” or “approximately,” as used herein,is inclusive of the stated value and means within an acceptable range ofdeviation for the particular value as determined by one of ordinaryskill in the art, considering the measurement in question and the errorassociated with measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., thelimitations of the measurement system). For example, “about” may meanwithin one or more standard deviations, or within ±30%, 20%, 10%, 5% ofthe stated value. Further, the use of “may” when describing embodimentsof the present disclosure refers to “one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure.” As used herein, the terms “use,” “using,” and“used” may be considered synonymous with the terms “utilize,”“utilizing,” and “utilized,” respectively. Also, the term “exemplary” isintended to refer to an example or illustration.

When a certain embodiment may be implemented differently, a specificprocess order may be performed differently from the described order. Forexample, two consecutively described processes may be performedsubstantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to thedescribed order.

Various embodiments are described herein with reference to sectionalillustrations that are schematic illustrations of embodiments and/orintermediate structures. As such, variations from the shapes of theillustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniquesand/or tolerances, are to be expected. Further, specific structural orfunctional descriptions disclosed herein are merely illustrative for thepurpose of describing embodiments according to the concept of thepresent disclosure. Thus, embodiments disclosed herein should not beconstrued as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions,but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance,manufacturing. For example, an implanted region illustrated as arectangle will, typically, have rounded or curved features and/or agradient of implant concentration at its edges rather than a binarychange from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, a buried regionformed by implantation may result in some implantation in the regionbetween the buried region and the surface through which the implantationtakes place. Thus, the regions illustrated in the drawings are schematicin nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actualshape of a region of a device and are not intended to be limiting.

The electronic or electric devices and/or any other relevant devices orcomponents according to embodiments of the present disclosure describedherein may be implemented utilizing any suitable hardware, firmware(e.g. an application-specific integrated circuit), software, or acombination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, thevarious components of these devices may be formed on one integratedcircuit (IC) chip or on separate IC chips. Further, the variouscomponents of these devices may be implemented on a flexible printedcircuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board(PCB), or formed on one substrate. Further, the various components ofthese devices may be a process or thread, running on one or moreprocessors, in one or more computing devices, executing computer programinstructions and interacting with other system components for performingthe various functionalities described herein. The computer programinstructions are stored in a memory which may be implemented in acomputing device using a standard memory device, such as, for example, arandom access memory (RAM). The computer program instructions may alsobe stored in other non-transitory computer readable media such as, forexample, a CD-ROM, flash drive, or the like. Also, a person of skill inthe art should recognize that the functionality of various computingdevices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device, orthe functionality of a particular computing device may be distributedacross one or more other computing devices without departing from thespirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonlyused dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/orthe present specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealizedor overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

The foregoing is illustrative of example embodiments, and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although a few example embodiments havebeen described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatmany modifications are possible in the example embodiments withoutmaterially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of exampleembodiments. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to beincluded within the scope of example embodiments as defined in theclaims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to coverthe structures described herein as performing the recited function andnot only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative ofexample embodiments and is not to be construed as limited to thespecific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosedexample embodiments, as well as other example embodiments, are intendedto be included within the scope of the appended claims. The inventiveconcept is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of theclaims to be included therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A frequency detector circuit comprising: atransition detector configured to receive a data input and provide afirst edge output based on transitions in the data input; a firstcircuit configured to generate a second edge output; a second circuitconfigured to generate a third edge output; and a combinational logicconfigured to: output an UP output when at least two of the first edgeoutput, the second edge output, and the third edge output are high; andoutput a DOWN output when the first edge output, the second edge output,and the third edge output are all low, wherein the first circuitcomprises a first delay circuit and the second circuit comprises asecond delay circuit.
 2. The frequency detector of claim 1, wherein thecombinational logic comprises: a DOWN logic; and an UP logic.
 3. Thefrequency detector circuit of claim 1, wherein the combination logicfurther comprises a selection circuit configured to convert theoperation of the frequency detector to a phase detector according to aselection signal.
 4. A frequency detector circuit comprising: atransition detector configured to receive a data input and provide afirst edge output based on transitions in the data input; a firstcircuit configured to generate a second edge output; a second circuitconfigured to generate a third edge output; and a combinational logicconfigured to: output an UP output when at least two of the first edgeoutput, the second edge output, and the third edge output are high; andoutput a DOWN output when the first edge output, the second edge output,and the third edge output are all low, wherein the combinational logiccomprises: a DOWN logic; and an UP logic, and wherein the DOWN logiccomprises: an AND gate having a first input, a second input, and a thirdinput; a first inverter configured to receive the first edge output andconnected to the first input; a second inverter configured to receivethe second edge output and connected to the second input; and a thirdinverter configured to receive the third edge output and connected tothe third input.
 5. A frequency detector circuit comprising: atransition detector configured to receive a data input and provide afirst edge output based on transitions in the data input; a firstcircuit configured to generate a second edge output; a second circuitconfigured to generate a third edge output; and a combinational logicconfigured to: output an UP output when at least two of the first edgeoutput, the second edge output, and the third edge output are high; andoutput a DOWN output when the first edge output, the second edge output,and the third edge output are all low, wherein the combinational logiccomprises: a DOWN logic; and an UP logic, and wherein the UP logiccomprises: a three input OR gate; a first AND gate configured to receivethe first edge output and the second edge output and provide a firstoutput to a first input of the three input OR gate; a second AND gateconfigured to receive the first edge output and the third edge outputand provide a second output to a second input of the three input ORgate; and a third AND gate configured to receive the second edge outputand the third edge output and provide a third output to a third input ofthe three input OR gate.